Richard Croker

Infobox Person
name = Richard Croker, Sr.


image_size =
caption =
birth_date = November 24, 1843
birth_place = Blackrock, Ireland
death_date = April 29, 1922
death_place = County Dublin, Ireland
occupation = Tammany Hall
spouse = Elizabeth Frazer (?-1914)
Beulah Benson Edmonson
parents =
children = Richard Croker, Jr. (1877-?)
Frank Croker (1878-1905)
Joseph Croker (1880-?)
Herbert Croker (c1802-1905)
Mrs. Louis San Martini

Richard Croker, Sr. (November 24, 1843 – April 29, 1922) was an American politician, a leader of New York City's Tammany Hall.

Biography

He was born at Blackrock, Ireland on November 24, 1843. [Date from 1911 "EB" article; Spartacus.net and some other sources say 1841. The 1880 US Census shows a 's attacks on Tammany Hall corruption and became a wealthy man.

His greatest political success was his bringing about the 1897 election of Robert A. Van Wyck as first mayor of the five-borough "greater" New York, and during van Wyck's administration Croker is popularly supposed to have dominated completely the government of the city. After Croker's failure to carry the city in the presidential election of 1900 and the defeat of his mayoralty candidate, Edward M. Shepard in 1901, he resigned from his position of leadership in Tammany and was succeeded by Lewis Nixon. He retired to a country life in England and Ireland. In 1907 he won the Epsom Derby with his race-horse Orby. He married Beulah Benson Edmondson (1884-1957 [cite web|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~balmer04/1458.htm|title=Biographical data on Bula Edmonson|accessdate=2008-07-22] ) in 1914 when he was 71 years old. [cite web|url=http://shinyshots.palmbeachdailynews.com/pages/photo_page.php?mm=1504062&gallery=296299|accessdate=2008-07-22|title=Photo from the wedding]

He died in 1922 in Ireland cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Richard Croker Dies In His Irish Castle As Result Of Cold |quote=Ex-Tammany Boss, Aged 80 Suffered Exposure On Trip From America In October. Dictator Here 16 Years Gang Leader, Prize Fighter, Alderman, Coroner Before He became Tammany's Chief. Made Fortune In Politics Went Abroad To Live And Wonderby. Last Years Embittered By Fight With Children. London, April 29, 1922. Richard Croker, former leader of Tammany Hall, died at 3:30 o'clock this afternoon at Glencairn Castle, his residence in County Dublin. |work= |publisher=New York Times |date=April 29, 1922 |accessdate=2007-06-14 ] leaving a fortune estimated to $3-5 millions to his second wife, disinheriting the children. [cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A00E3D81739EF3ABC4953DFB3668389639EDE|title=Children cut off by Richard Croker|work=The New York Times|date=May 22, 1922|accessdate=2008-07-22|format=PDF|quote="Entire Estate, Estimated at 3 to 5 Millions, Goes to His 'Indian Bride.' Richard Croker left nothing to his four children ..."]

Croker's funeral drew some of Dublin's most eminent citizens, "The Times" (of London) describing it as follows: [The Times, May 6, 1922]

References

*1911|title=Richard Croker|url=http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Richard_Croker

External links

* [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAcroker.htm Spartacus.schoolnet article on Croker]
* [http://www.davidpietrusza.com/tammany-hall-links.html Tammany Hall Links]